Mayor Karen Bass unveiled a budget proposal last week to tackle a nearly $1-billion shortfall—calling for over 1,600 layoffs and reductions to key departments, including programs for youth.
Under the proposed budget, the Youth Development Department—home to the LA City Youth Council of 30 young Angelenos—would be eliminated and absorbed into a larger city agency alongside departments focused on aging and workforce development.
Funding for YDD programs—such as the Youth Expo and Youth Summit, which connect young Angelenos with jobs and internships—would drop from $2.3 million to under $1.6 million, with nearly half the department’s 18 staffers facing layoffs.
“First of all, the mayor is not a policy maker; she’s the executive of the city, and so her consolidating these departments – absent any policy discussion by the [LA City] Council – is basically a dictatorship type of move,” LA City Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez told the San Fernando Valley Sun/el Sol. “That’s generally not how it works. … It would be unprecedented.”
Having led efforts to establish the department in 2020, Rodriguez defended its importance, calling it essential to ensuring the safety and effectiveness of services designed for the city’s youth.
Rodriguez criticized the proposed consolidation of the Economic and Workforce Development Department, warning it would cut staff responsible for bringing small businesses to working-class areas like Pacoima in her district.
Responding to concerns about departmental consolidation, Mayor Bass stated that YDD services would continue under the Community Investment for Families Department.
